Heavy duty vehicle construction



June 28,1938. 'H, 0.5215 2,121,862

, HEAVY DUY VEHICLE CONSTRUCTIONv Filed'lb. 25,1931 2 snee'@s-snem 1 Q Z9 zo Mu) E @noruega YJune 28, 1938. H. B. DODGE HEAVY DUTY VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gttornegs Puentes June 2s, 193s i 2,121,862

, .UNITED STATES PATENToI-Fics 'ai' HEAVY DUTY VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION Harry B. Dodge, Clintonville, Wis., assignor to The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, Clintonville, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin V Application February 25, 1937, Serial No.'127,679

5 claims. (c1. 28o-s1) 'I'his invention vrelates to improvements in 'tained thereon in any desired manner.y Each heavy duty vehicle constructions. wheel is also preferably provided individually It is the primary'object of the invention to with a brakerdrum I1 and brake-I8. Each of provide, in a single truck organization,for the the axle carriages I0 preferably comprises a hol- 5 balanced distribution of a -heavy vehicleV load low shell having a central bearing sleeve 25, 5 upon eight pneumatic ltires so organized that cup-shaped heads 26 and 21, and webs 28, 29, 30 any one of the tires may be replaced individually and 3| connecting the bearing sleeve 25 with and braking pressure may be applied to all eightg the upper and lower portions of the shell and of the tires separately, and any tire may move with the cup-shaped heads 26 and 21, respec' l vertically either upwardly or downwardlyl with tively. Y 10 reference to any other tirev or set of tires in the The cup-shaped heads terminate in annular group. flanges 32, to which the complementary flanges In an -ordlnary two axle vbogey construction 33 of the axle skeins are secured. each axle is inoneplece andthe wheel bearingsk There are parts which interact between the vl are mounted directly thereon. "ll'hispermits of axle carriages I0 and the oscillatory bogey cast- 16 no flexibility or equalization of load, and when ing 8 to limit the degree to which the axle carthe vehicle traverses muddy roads vror encounters riages may oscillate upon shafts 9. Preferably IA obstacles, one tireof each pair may be obliged cast on the bogey/members 8 a senil-annular to carry the entire load with the result that exridge at I9, the two ends of which constitute y 270 cessive wear is occasioned.v `It is my object to stops between which'a lug 20 onV the axle carriagezo arrange eight tires in pairsina single truck ase Io is movable. This arrangement prevents the sembly, as for the support of a heavy duty trailaxle carriage from tilting so far as to impose erland to permit eeeh of the Pairs to oseillete on any given wheel a load which it is unadapted iiidepeudel'itly. but only-t0 e limited degree, With to bear, vmost wheels being designed to receive reference tothe othertires, thus assuring equaliradial load primarily. Fig. 3 shows at the right 25 lotion of the load Within the permissible limiiiS how one of the axle carriages has been tilted due which the Wheels are adopted lfo eelryto the fact that the outer tire' I6 is passing over VIn the drawings: z .a bump in the road surface while the inner tire Figure 1 is a plan view partially broken away I6 of this pair is in a. hollow. By permitting this :i0 to expose the bearing structure and illustrating tilting movement the load is equaiized es between 3o a springless eight wheel truck assembly embedythese two tires. If thel axle carriage I0 were ing this iuveni'fioirigid on shaft 9, the outr .tire I6 of this pair Figure 2 is o View 0f the Some device largely would carry the entire load transmitted through in side elevation but partially brokenaway. Such carriage,

35 Figure 3 ShoWS the Seme device in reel eleve' As between the forward and rearward car- 35 tion, partially broken awayriages at either side of the vehicle, the movement Figure 4 ShoWS o modified embodiment of the of the casting 8 upon the cross shaft 1 provides invention largely in side elevation but partially equalization, broken ewayy In the construction shown in Fig. 4 the cross y. 4o Figure 5 is an enlareeddeieilview taken in" shaft 1, instead of being mounted directly in 4o eroSS Section through e' Wheel Paires uSed ln brackets on the frame asin Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is

either of the embodiments of the invention. provided with a spring Seat casting 22 which Like parte are identified by the Seme reference supports the frame through the usual springs 23 Characters throughout the Several VieWS. having conventional hangers'connected with the d,45 A vehicle frame 6 carries a Supporting CroSS frame. The construction is otherwise identical 45 shaft 1 which projects laterally beyond the sides with that already described.

of the frame to provide a fulcrum for the heavy Frequently dual wheels have Abeen used in castings 8 through which extend longitudinal bogey constructions, both `wheels being mounted shafts 9. in close proximity on a single axle. In any such Fulcrumed on each end of the shaft 9, in turn, construction it is diicult', if not impossible, to 50 y are the osclllatable axle carriages I0 which carry replace the innermost tirecasing without first the axle slreins II and the bearings upon which removing the outer tire casing of any wheel pair. the hubs'f'l2 and the wheels l5 are mounted. In the present construction'there is plenty of Each wheel is preferably provided individually clearance afforded for the replacement of eitherwith a replaceable pneumatic tire casing IB retire casing individually. v An #additional advan- 55 tage is found in the increased stability and equalization of load which results from spacing the wheels somewhat apart at opposite sides of the longitudinally extending shaft 9 upon which the axle carriage ID is fulcrumed.

Preferably, the shaft 9 will be located to X the fulcrum axis of the axle carriages I substantially midway between the treads of the inner and outer wheels of the forward and rearward pairs mounted thereon. The transverse axle 1 will preferably be located substantially midway between the axle skeins of the forward and rearward pairs.

One additional advantage having to do with the individual braking of the several wheels is attributable to the fact that each wheel is independently rotatable and has its own independent brake. As compared with a dual Ywheel construction, this not only gives additional braking surface but it renders the braking action more depen-.lable in that the wheels are now somewhat separated and consequently a slippery spot encountered by one wheel is not so apt to be encountered simultaneously by the other wheel of the pair. Thus, even though the brake is ineffective as applied to the one wheel which may be on a slippery surface, the brake applied to the other wheel of the pair is quite apt to be effective and thus to give more dependable control under adverse conditions.

I claim:

1. I'he combination with a vehicle frame, of frame supporting means providing longitudinally extending bearing members at opposite sides of the frame, axle carriages pivoted on the respective bearing members at the forward and rearward ends thereof and each provided with inwardly and outwardly directed axle elements, wheels mounted on the respective axle elements to receive the distributed load of the frame, and means interacting between the axle carriages and the bearing members for limiting the oscillation of the carriages.

2. The combination with a vehicle frame of a transverse bogey shaft, a bogey member mounted on said shaft and provided with a longitudinally projecting bearing, an axle carriage member fulcrumed on said bearing, wheels operatively mounted on said axle carriage member, and means restraining said carriage member against undue oscillation on said bearing with respect to said bogey member, said means comprising spaced lugs on one of said members, and an intervening lug connected with the other member, and engageable alternatively with said spaced lugs at the extremities of relative movement between said members.

3. The combination with a bogey member andy a wheel carriage member, a frame operatively connected with said bogey member, wheels operatively mounted upon said carriage member, and means pivotally connecting said members, of means for restraining said members against undue oscillatory displacement respecting each other, said means comprising a semi-circular rib formed upon one of said members and having its ends extending close to the other of said members, an intervening lug carried by said other member and disposed between the ends of said rib to contact said rib ends as stops to dene the extent of relative movement between said members.

4. In a device of the character described, a wheel carriage comprising a hollow shell formed at its sides to provide heads, and provided centrally with a bearing sleeve extending between said heads, web means integrally connecting said sleeve with said shell and said heads, and axle skeins-provided with heads complementary to said first mentioned heads, and in operative connection therewith.

5. In a device of the character described, a. wheel carriage comprising the combination with a longitudinally disposed bearing sleeve of an enclosed shell integral with said sleeve, and centrally spaced therefrom; webs extending in a generally upright direction between said shell and bearing sleeve and integrally connected thereto, cup-shaped head members provided with annular flanges disposed substantially parallel to each other to opposite sides of the sleeve,and integrally connected with said shell, webs extending in a generally horizontal direction between said cupshaped heads and said sleeve and integrally connected thereto, and axle skeins provided with annular flanges complementary to the flanges of said cup-shaped heads and unitarily connected therewith.

HARRY B. DODGE. 

